Swiss police to use new fingerprint and face technology to identify suspects
Old school investigating using paper copies of fingerprints and a magnifying glass.
Keystone / Thomas Kienzle
Swiss police should be able to start using “facial-comparison” technology alongside fingerprint scans to help identify suspects, after the government agreed to fund a new identification system.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sb
Italiano
it
La polizia svizzera utilizzerà la nuova tecnologia delle impronte digitali e del volto per identificare i sospetti
The Federal Office of Police (fedpol) currently has access to an identification system that allows investigators to compare fingerprints and palm prints but not facial images. Such a system was considered too expensive in the past.
But the Federal Council on Thursday requested parliament to release CHF25 million to purchase the latest Automated Fingerprint Matching System (AFIS2026) that offers a fingerprint and palm print comparison system with a module allowing the comparison of facial images.
“This identification is of paramount importance in the fight against crime,” said the government in a statementExternal link.
“Technological developments have changed the game,” it said, adding that recognition rates and the reliability of the software have improved considerably.
“Facial image matching is a complementary method of biometric identification of people and traces from crime scenes, especially when fingerprint or DNA traces are lacking,” the government said.
The system works in the same way as with fingerprints: it allows investigators to compare an image of a suspect with identifying images contained in the AFIS system. Other sources, such as photos on identity documents or in social media cannot be used for comparison.
The government insists that this is not a facial recognition surveillance system for which there is no legal basis in Switzerland. The facial image of suspects cannot be compared automatically and in real time using surveillance cameras in the Alpine state.
Fedpol currently processes more than 340,000 identification requests per year.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss oddities
Mennonite movement turns 500 in Zurich, where it all began
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Chihuahua leads Swiss rescue team to owner stuck in a crevasse
This content was published on
A Chihuahua helped to rescue a man on the Fee Glacier above Saas-Fee VS on Friday. It alerted a rescue team to its owner who had fallen into a crevasse.
Swiss executives distance themselves from the United States
This content was published on
According to a survey of managers, Swiss companies are increasingly turning away from the USA and orientating themselves more towards Southeast Asia and the EU. This is the result of a recent survey.
This content was published on
The Fête de l'Epouvantail (scarecrow festival) is celebrating its 30th anniversary and returns to Denens in canton Vaud for its seventh edition from July 10-20.
This content was published on
A 35-year-old man has died in a work accident at the valley station of the Heimwehfluh toboggan run in Matten near Interlaken, canton Bern.
This content was published on
The Swiss embassy in Tehran re-opened on Sunday after being closed on June 20 owing to the unstable situation in the country.
This content was published on
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and her youngest daughter Princess Ariane attended the Netherlands' women's European Championship football match against Wales in Switzerland on Saturday.
Swiss want to better protect military airfields from spying
This content was published on
Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister says he wants to better protect Swiss military airfields against espionage activities.
Man charged with flying drone at women’s Euro 2025
This content was published on
A man flew a drone around the venue on Wednesday evening during the first match of the Women's EURO 2025 in St. Gallen. The 30-year-old violated the absolute ban on flying during match days. He was reported to the police.
More than 250 Swiss companies sign CO2 reduction initiative
This content was published on
A total of 257 companies from Switzerland have signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). In doing so, they are committing to CO2 reduction targets that are compatible with the Paris Climate Agreement.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
More Swiss trains fitted with video surveillance
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways has massively increased video surveillance in trains and at stations with around 25,000 cameras in operation.
Digitalisation and surveillance at work: is your boss spying on you?
This content was published on
The increasing use of employee surveillance technology is causing concern in Switzerland, where the legal system is not set up to deal with it.
Your employer might be watching you. Should you care?
This content was published on
The new wave of workplace data analytics is raising tough questions in Switzerland with its strong culture of trust and privacy.
Will it make you think twice about sharing pictures online?
This content was published on
We all leave traces on the internet, but did you know how easy it is to build facial recognition tools and use them to trace people online?
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.